It’s Just The Facts: February 2019

1. HOW LONG COULD YOU LAST? – Just 29% of working Americans surveyed
in the summer of 2018 had emergency savings set aside that would allow them to survive
at least 6 months without any current cash flow from a job. (Bankrate’s
Financial Security Index)

2. ONE ESPRESSO PLEASE – 27% of millennials surveyed in July
2018 spend more money on coffee each month than what they set aside and invest
monthly for their eventual retirement. (Lendedu.com)

3. JUST A ROTTEN DAY – On the day that Janet Yellen was sworn
in as Fed Chair (2/3/14), the S&P 500 was down 2.3%, the worst trading day
for the index in 2014. On the day that Jerome Powell was sworn in as Fed Chair
(2/5/18), the S&P 500 was down 4.1%, the worst trading day for the index in
2018. (BTN Research)

4. ESTATE TAXES – An estimated 2.8 million Americans died in
2018. Of the 2.8 million deaths, an estimated 4,000 of those died with an
estate worth more than $11.2 million, the maximum dollar amount that can be
passed estate tax-free per decedent with proper tax planning. (Tax Policy
Center)

5. NOT STOPPING – 48% of working Americans surveyed in 2018
anticipate working past age 65, up from just 16% of workers who felt that way
30 years earlier. (Employee Benefit Research Institute)

6. GOOD FOR HOME BUYERS – The average interest rate
nationwide on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 4.41%, down from 4.94% on
11/15/18. (Freddie Mac)

7. MOVING FOR LOTS OF REASONS – Population data for the past
12 months showed that Florida added the largest number of Americans who
relocated to its state, while the state of New York was the largest population
loser. (Census Bureau)

8. MORTGAGE DEBT – For the average American household,
mortgage debt represents 67% of total household debt. Aggregate mortgage debt
was $9.1 trillion. (Federal Reserve Bank of New York)